Kamala River
Encyclopedia
The Kamala River flows through Nepal
and the India
n state
of Bihar
.
of Nepal
at an elevation of 1200 metres (3,937 ft).It flows in a southerly direction and after passing through a gorge above Chauphat it flows into the terai
area of Nepal at Chisapani
.The Kamala forms the border between Siraha
and Dhanusa
districts in the terai. During the monsoon the river swells up and thus causes devastating river bank erosion.. Tao River and Baijnath Khola River merges with Kamala at Maini
It enters Indian territory in Madhubani district
in Bihar, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) upstream of Jainagar
. A barrage known as Kamala barrage has been constructed by the State Government near Jainagar. It joins the river Kareh (Bagmati) at Badlaghat in Khagaria district
and the combined stream flows into the Koshi
nearby. While one of its branches leads to the Bagmati another leads to the Kosi.
In the lower reaches it follows the course of the Balan and is therefore also known as Kamala-Balan.
While 16.5 per cent of the total flood affected area in India is in Bihar, 57 per cent of India’s flood affected population live in Bihar, out of which 76 per cent are in northern Bihar.About 68800 square kilometres (26,563.8 sq mi) out of total area of 94160 square kilometres (36,355.4 sq mi) or about 73.06 percent of the total area of Bihar is flood affected. Over 70 per cent of the population of North Bihar lives under recurring threat of floods.
The plains of Bihar, adjoining Nepal, are drained by a number of rivers that have their catchments in the steep and geologically nascent Himalayas. The Kosi
, the Gandak, the Burhi Gandak, the Bagmati
, the Kamala Balan and the Adhwara group of rivers originate in Nepal, carry high discharge and very high sediment load and drop it down in the plains of Bihar.
Bihar witnessed high magnitudes of flood in 1978, 1987, 1998, 2004 and 2007. The flood of 2004 demonstrated the severity of flood problem when a vast area of 23490 square kilometres (9,069.5 sq mi) was badly affected by the floods of Bagmati
, Kamala and the Adhwara groups of rivers causing loss of about 800 human lives.
Three dams have been proposed as solutions to north Bihar’s flood problems. Among the three one is across the Kamala at Chisapani, but a report claims that there is no flood cushion in the proposed Chisapani reservoir.
.External link: Glimpses of the flood in Northern Bihar in 2007 (Source: Water Resource Department, Govt. of Bihar)
and Siraha
in Nepal. The project would provide year round irrigation facilities and generate hydropower with an installed capacity of 30 MW. This scheme forms part of the Sunkosi Storage-cum-Diversion Scheme which involves diverting water from the Sunkosi River to the Kamala River to augment lean season flow.
However, there is a cause for worry. North Bihar is an earthquake prone area. In 1998, earthquake zone was Darbhanga
that is only 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) from the borders of Nepal where big dams are being proposed. In1988, Kamala River embankment in Madhubani district
breached due to earthquake cracks.
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
and the India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n state
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
of Bihar
Bihar
Bihar is a state in eastern India. It is the 12th largest state in terms of geographical size at and 3rd largest by population. Almost 58% of Biharis are below the age of 25, which is the highest proportion in India....
.
Course
The Kamala originates from Mahabharat Range near Sindhuliagarhi in Sindhuli DistrictSindhuli District
-Historical Importance:This place has a huge historic significance. The Sindhuli Gadhi in Sindhuli is the place where British soldiers were defeated for the first time in Asia in 1767 A.D . The British under the leadership of Captain Kinloch came to help the then ruler of Kathmandu, Jai Prakash...
of Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
at an elevation of 1200 metres (3,937 ft).It flows in a southerly direction and after passing through a gorge above Chauphat it flows into the terai
Terai
The Terai is a belt of marshy grasslands, savannas, and forests located south of the outer foothills of the Himalaya, the Siwalik Hills, and north of the Indo-Gangetic Plain of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and their tributaries. The Terai belongs to the Terai-Duar savanna and grasslands ecoregion...
area of Nepal at Chisapani
Chisapani, Ramechhap
Chisapani, Ramechhap is a village development committee in Ramechhap District in the Janakpur Zone of north-eastern Nepal. At the time of the 1991 Nepal census it had a population of 3058 people living in 579 individual households.-External links:*...
.The Kamala forms the border between Siraha
Siraha District
-Village Development Committees :*Arnama Lalpur*Arnama Rampur*Asanpur*Ashokpur Balkawa*Aurahi*Ayodhyanagar*Badharamal*Barchhawa*Bariyarpatti*Basbita*Bastipur*Belaha*Belhi*Betauna*Bhadaiya*Bhagawanpur*Bhagawatipur*Bhawanipur...
and Dhanusa
Dhanusa District
Dhanusa District of 671,364. It lies in the Central Development Region of Nepal. Also famous as a cultural center, the city attracts many Hindu pilgrims during festivals from both Nepal and India....
districts in the terai. During the monsoon the river swells up and thus causes devastating river bank erosion.. Tao River and Baijnath Khola River merges with Kamala at Maini
It enters Indian territory in Madhubani district
Madhubani District
Madhubani District is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India, and Madhubani town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Madhubani district is a part of Darbhanga Division. The district occupies an area of 3501 km² and has a population of 3,570,651...
in Bihar, 3.5 kilometres (2.2 mi) upstream of Jainagar
Jainagar
Jainagar is a city and a notified area in Madhubani district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is situated on the holy river Kamla. Jainagar is now well connected by broad gauge railway system with the major cities of India, and has a railway line to Nepal, though this is currently in poor condition...
. A barrage known as Kamala barrage has been constructed by the State Government near Jainagar. It joins the river Kareh (Bagmati) at Badlaghat in Khagaria district
Khagaria District
Khagaria district is an administrative district in the state of Bihar in India. The district headquarters are located at Khagaria. Khagaria district is a part of Munger Division....
and the combined stream flows into the Koshi
Koshi River
The Kosi River or Koshi —also Saptakoshi for its seven Himalayan tributaries—is a trans-boundary river flowing through Nepal and India. Some of the rivers of the Koshi system, such as the Arun, the Sun Kosi and the Bhote Koshi, originate in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China...
nearby. While one of its branches leads to the Bagmati another leads to the Kosi.
In the lower reaches it follows the course of the Balan and is therefore also known as Kamala-Balan.
Tributaries
Its main tributaries are – Tao, Baijnath Khola,Mainawati, Dhauri, Soni, Balan, Trisula.River and basin data
The total length of the Kamala is 328 kilometres (203.8 mi) of which 208 kilometres (129.2 mi) is in Nepal and the remaining 120 kilometres (74.6 mi) is in India. The river drains a total catchment area of 7232 square kilometres (2,792.3 sq mi) out of which 4488 square kilometres (1,732.8 sq mi) lies in Bihar in India and the rest 2744 square kilometres (1,059.5 sq mi) in Nepal. Average annual rainfall is 1260 millimetres (49.6 in). Cropped area in Bihar is 2744 square kilometres (1,059.5 sq mi). Population of the Kamala basin in Bihar is 3.9 million.Floods
The extent of flood impact can be gauged from the fact that about one million people were affected by floods in the Kamala and other rivers in the region in 2003.While 16.5 per cent of the total flood affected area in India is in Bihar, 57 per cent of India’s flood affected population live in Bihar, out of which 76 per cent are in northern Bihar.About 68800 square kilometres (26,563.8 sq mi) out of total area of 94160 square kilometres (36,355.4 sq mi) or about 73.06 percent of the total area of Bihar is flood affected. Over 70 per cent of the population of North Bihar lives under recurring threat of floods.
The plains of Bihar, adjoining Nepal, are drained by a number of rivers that have their catchments in the steep and geologically nascent Himalayas. The Kosi
Koshi River
The Kosi River or Koshi —also Saptakoshi for its seven Himalayan tributaries—is a trans-boundary river flowing through Nepal and India. Some of the rivers of the Koshi system, such as the Arun, the Sun Kosi and the Bhote Koshi, originate in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China...
, the Gandak, the Burhi Gandak, the Bagmati
Bagmati
The Bagmati River is a river of Nepal and India. It flows through the Kathmandu valley and is the river separating Kathmandu from Lalitpur. It is considered a holy river both by Hindus and Buddhists...
, the Kamala Balan and the Adhwara group of rivers originate in Nepal, carry high discharge and very high sediment load and drop it down in the plains of Bihar.
Bihar witnessed high magnitudes of flood in 1978, 1987, 1998, 2004 and 2007. The flood of 2004 demonstrated the severity of flood problem when a vast area of 23490 square kilometres (9,069.5 sq mi) was badly affected by the floods of Bagmati
Bagmati
The Bagmati River is a river of Nepal and India. It flows through the Kathmandu valley and is the river separating Kathmandu from Lalitpur. It is considered a holy river both by Hindus and Buddhists...
, Kamala and the Adhwara groups of rivers causing loss of about 800 human lives.
Three dams have been proposed as solutions to north Bihar’s flood problems. Among the three one is across the Kamala at Chisapani, but a report claims that there is no flood cushion in the proposed Chisapani reservoir.
.External link: Glimpses of the flood in Northern Bihar in 2007 (Source: Water Resource Department, Govt. of Bihar)
Kamala Multipurpose Project
The Kamala Multipurpose Project would involve the construction of storage dam on the Kamala River in the districts of DhanusaDhanusa District
Dhanusa District of 671,364. It lies in the Central Development Region of Nepal. Also famous as a cultural center, the city attracts many Hindu pilgrims during festivals from both Nepal and India....
and Siraha
Siraha District
-Village Development Committees :*Arnama Lalpur*Arnama Rampur*Asanpur*Ashokpur Balkawa*Aurahi*Ayodhyanagar*Badharamal*Barchhawa*Bariyarpatti*Basbita*Bastipur*Belaha*Belhi*Betauna*Bhadaiya*Bhagawanpur*Bhagawatipur*Bhawanipur...
in Nepal. The project would provide year round irrigation facilities and generate hydropower with an installed capacity of 30 MW. This scheme forms part of the Sunkosi Storage-cum-Diversion Scheme which involves diverting water from the Sunkosi River to the Kamala River to augment lean season flow.
However, there is a cause for worry. North Bihar is an earthquake prone area. In 1998, earthquake zone was Darbhanga
Darbhanga
Darbhangā is a twin city and a municipal corporation and the capital city of the Darbhanga district and Darbhanga Division in the state of Bihar, India. It is one of the most important districts of North Bihar situated in the very heart of Mithilanchal. According to the latest 2011 census, the...
that is only 60 kilometres (37.3 mi) from the borders of Nepal where big dams are being proposed. In1988, Kamala River embankment in Madhubani district
Madhubani District
Madhubani District is one of the thirty-eight districts of Bihar state, India, and Madhubani town is the administrative headquarters of this district. Madhubani district is a part of Darbhanga Division. The district occupies an area of 3501 km² and has a population of 3,570,651...
breached due to earthquake cracks.